


Well, Crap

by themacerlife



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cheryl is a professional athlete, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Cute Cheryl Blossom, Domestic Fluff, Engagement, Established Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Minor Veronica Lodge/Sweet Pea, Soft Toni Topaz, Southside Serpent Toni Topaz, Toni misses her a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-17 14:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18100577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themacerlife/pseuds/themacerlife
Summary: In the midst of the Christmas season, Toni has a secret that only Sweet Pea, Veronica and Kevin know about. Cheryl's favorite holiday is approaching and Toni knows none of her other presents will compare. When the smallest gift becomes unbearably heavy, Toni decides to pop the question.A Christmas/engagement story one-shot I started in November but just finished now...





	Well, Crap

“Are you sure this is a good idea? I don’t trust our friends not to run their mouths,” Toni Topaz huffed as she wrapped her Serpent jacket tighter around her body.

Sweet Pea shrugged and pulled open the door to one of the jewelry stores in downtown Riverdale.

“No, but you know I am not an expert in diamonds. Veronica and Kevin definitely know what they are talking about.”

Toni lightly stomped her boots on the ground to kick off some snow and looked around the elegantly decorated jewelry counters.

“I don’t know, Pea. Cheryl is so picky…”

Sweet Pea chuckled and checked his phone as he gently nudged Toni. “Oh, I know, but she loves everything you get her. She even hung up that painting you made at one of Veronica’s stupid paint nights.”

“Hey! It wasn’t that bad! And you love Veronica’s ‘stupid paint nights’!”

“Ah, Sweet Pea, it is nice to know the permanent scowl on your face during those events is not just for show.”

The two Serpents turned to find Veronica Lodge gracefully peeling her leather gloves from her manicured hands.

Toni tried to bite back her laughter at the smirk on Veronica’s face and the blush that flooded Sweet Pea’s face.

“Now, while we wait for Kevin, tell me about what you are looking for, Toni. Princess cut? Asscher or marquise? Classic white or maybe a rose gold? What about band width?”

“Whoa, Ronnie back up. How did you know I am looking for a ring?”

Veronica chuckled and wrapped her arm around Toni’s shoulders, “Oh, dear Antoinette, I knew you were going to propose to Cheryl Blossom the day you and your hooligans walked into Riverdale High all those years ago. An invitation to a secret jewelry store expedition only proved me right.”

The front door was suddenly pulled open and Kevin Keller walked in, a sweater covered in reindeer and flashing lights partially hidden by his jacket.

“Wow, nice sweater, Keller.”

Kevin rolled his eyes at Sweet Pea and proudly pulled back the lapels of his peacoat. “Isn’t it adorable? I’m so ready for the party tonight. Are you all coming?”

Veronica huffed, “I guess so, but I have to admit planning a class reunion only three days before Christmas was a brave decision. I have so much to do before the holiday.”

Toni sighed, “We all do and we can catch up about the past ten years tonight. Can we hurry up and do this? I’m hungry.”

Sweet Pea whistled, “Damn, Tiny, you really are nervous.”

“I’m not! I just want to get home. Cheryl is coming back this afternoon.”

“Ah, the glamorous life of a professional athlete.”

A store clerk approached the group just as Sweet Pea winked, “It takes a professional to shoot her arrow right through the hard heart of Tiny Topaz.”

“Oh my god, that was _awful_.”

Two hours later, the small group left the jewelry store as Toni clutched a small bag to her chest.

“So, when are you going to pop the question?” Kevin asked with a huge smile on his face.

“I don’t know… she loves grand gestures but she also appreciates the small intimate stuff. Maybe I’ll ask her at the Blossom/Cooper/Andrews dinner on Christmas day.”

Sweet Pea shrugged, “Or you could ask her at the New Year’s Eve party at Archie’s place. Then we can all be there to celebrate.”

Toni bit her bottom lip, “Maybe…”

\------------------------------------------------------

Back at Thistlehouse, Toni had just managed to hide her recent purchase in Nana Rose’s old bedroom, a room Cheryl never entered, as the memories of her beloved grandmother were too raw at this time of the year, when the front door opened.

“TT? Toni? I’m home!”

Toni felt her heart beat just a little bit faster at the sound of her girlfriend’s voice. She bounded down the stairs and straight into Cheryl’s open arms, humming at the tight squeeze the redhead gave her and the soft kisses being pressed to her forehead.

“Hi, baby.”

Cheryl smiled and rested her head on Toni’s.

“I missed you, babe.”

“I missed you too. How was Toronto?”

“It was cold but worth it. I have something for you!”

Toni pulled back just enough to press a sweet kiss to Cheryl’s lips and arched an eyebrow.

“Christmas is only a few days away. You don’t want to wait until then?”

Cheryl leaned in to kiss her Serpent just a little bit longer and stepped away to dig through her carry-on bag.

“This is not one of your Christmas gifts, TT. This is, however, a tradition.”

The stunning redhead pulled two gold medals out of her bag and placed them around Toni’s neck, causing her to squeal.

“Holy shit! You won?! Congrats, Cher!”

Cheryl laughed as Toni hoisted her up and spun her around, kissing her over and over until both were a mess of giggles.

Whenever Cheryl won any awards at her archery competitions, they were gifted to Toni as she was Cheryl’s “true strength and inspiration.”

The Serpent, of course, had every award proudly displayed in the garage that had been transformed to Cheryl’s own archery headquarters when her career took off. She was now one of the top archers in the country, with Olympic potential.

Toni not only loved supporting her girlfriend through it all (while taking an enormous number of photos), but she thoroughly enjoyed the view that came with it.

Cheryl in her uniform? Effortlessly hitting every single bullseye? Strong muscles constricting around her after a competition? Yeah, Toni wasn’t complaining, even if Cheryl’s career took her away from Riverdale for weeks at a time.

“I am ecstatic to be home, TT. Thanksgiving may be your favorite holiday, but Christmas is easily mine.”

As she bent down to pick up one of Cheryl’s suitcases, Toni sighed, “I’m glad you’re home too.”

Cheryl gently grabbed Toni’s arm to stop her from heading upstairs and cradled her flawless face in one hand as the other tucked some pink hair behind her pierced ear.

“Hey, babe, what’s wrong?”

Toni momentarily panicked. Cheryl had always been able to tell if she was hiding something but this _something_ needed to stay hidden.

She smiled softly before turning it into an adorable pout, one that distracted Cheryl during any argument or semi-serious conversation.

“I just really missed you this time.” Well, it wasn’t entirely untrue.

Cheryl, for her part, must have been too exhausted from her travels to dig any deeper. Instead, she pulled Toni back into her arms and hummed, “I’m home now and I’m not leaving you for a whole month.”

“Good,” Toni mumbled against the soft skin of Cheryl’s neck.

\------------------------------------------------------

Through the next few days of stressful last minute gift shopping, attempting (and failing) to make a new dish for their various holiday gatherings, and receiving annoying phone calls from Cheryl’s coaches and mother, the two young women were simply content to be in each other’s presence. The energy of the approaching holiday outweighed the nuisances.

Until Veronica Lodge almost ruined everything…

“Do you think she will cry or scream first?”

Toni huffed as she sat back against the couch and tossed a spool of ribbon to Veronica as the two finished wrapping the many gifts to be presented to Juniper and Dagwood on Christmas morning. Cheryl had been helping them until she remembered a few more _imperative_ toys for her niece and nephew. Toni had assured her the gifts would be wrapped by the time Cheryl returned from her emergency shopping trip.

“Hopefully she says ‘yes’ before she does any of that.”

Veronica chuckled. “Has she ever said ‘no’ to you before?”

Toni snorted, “Many times but, for some reason, I think you or Sweet Pea are always involved in those situations.” 

The youngest Lodge gasped and threw a wad of paper scraps at Toni. “You take that back, Topaz, or I am going to conveniently let your secret slip to Cheryl!”

Toni’s laugh was cut off by the smooth voice of her lover, “And what secret would that be, Ronnie?”

While Veronica somehow managed to keep a neutral face, Toni felt her heart drop to her stomach. Oh god, Veronica better come up with something good…

“Oh, just the little-known fact that Antoinette has had a crush on me since our high school days.”

Cheryl playfully glared at Veronica before turning her gaze to the Serpent.

“Is this true, TT? Is that where you spend your nights when I am away?”

Toni noticeably gulped, trying to cover it up with a smirk.

“You’ll never know, Blossom.”

Cheryl placed her purchases on the ground, and leaned over the arm of the couch, pursing her lips in a silent request for a kiss.

“Maybe not… but when I am here, I request _all_ of your nights.”

The playful look on her girlfriend’s face and the affection in her voice was enough to calm any of her panic and Toni smiled softly up at the athlete.

“Deal.”

\------------------------------------------------------

Finally, the most magical day of the year (according to Cheryl Blossom), was near. It was Christmas Eve, December 24th, and the stress of the past few days was worth it because Toni and Cheryl had nothing left to do but show up at the annual Serpent gathering that evening before heading over to Thistlehouse, the current residence of Polly, Alice and the twins where they would spend the night and wake up Christmas morning.

They had nothing left to do but take a glorious afternoon nap on their living room couch, with the fireplace crackling nearby. Toni was resting comfortably on her back, sweatpants low on her hips as Cheryl curled into her side.

While the redhead slumbered, Toni was running her fingers up and down her back, tugging _her_ flannel (that Cheryl had tugged off her small body and wrapped around her own strong shoulders) closer to protect Cheryl from the winter chill.

Her mind wandered, as it had been doing constantly since she purchased the small jewelry box hidden upstairs, to the possibility that she could have _this_ for the rest of her life. Is that really what she wanted?

Cheryl suddenly yawned and stretched, wrapping her arms tighter around Toni and nuzzling further in the crook of her neck.

Yeah, this is exactly what she wanted.

\------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later, it took an incessant amount of kisses from Cheryl to get Toni up and off the couch. They had to get ready for the Serpent gathering and while Cheryl was excited, Toni was grumpy. Why would she spend her Christmas Eve with a bunch of drunk Serpents when her girlfriend was so warm and cuddly?

“They are our family, TT. They are _your_ family.”

Well, crap.

\------------------------------------------------------

‘Crap’ was exactly what Toni was thinking as she checked her phone for the tenth time in the past hour.

While she loved seeing her family and the poorly decorated Whyte Wyrm was filling her with a nostalgic sense of the Christmas holiday, her hands were clammy, and her stomach was twisted. Having snuck the small box into her pocket before they left, Toni was on edge waiting for the perfect moment to reveal it.

When Cheryl got pulled away from her _again_ , Toni huffed. The weight of the small box in her pocket was growing heavy and the lack of time she was getting with her girlfriend was infuriating.

Another group of small children ran by, nearly tackling her and two more drunken Serpents hopped onto the small stage to sing another horrible rendition of a Christmas carol. Oh god, it felt like the tiny box in her pocket was going to rip through the worn fabric of her Serpent jacket.

There were cheers and the clinking of glasses all around and when Fangs appeared at her side, forcing a Santa hat on her head, Toni snapped. She ripped the cheap fabric off and threw it to the ground, snatching the drink from Fangs’ hand and downing it.

With one last touch to make sure the expensive gift was still there, she stormed across the bar, pushing people aside to get to her girlfriend.

“Hey, Short Stuff! I was just telling Blossom about the time you almost burned the Wyrm down…”

Toni forced a smile at one of her coworkers as she reached out to grasp the fabric of Cheryl’s dark red dress.

“I’m sure whatever you’re telling her is a lie. Can I borrow her for a second?”

“Yeah, yeah, go try and make up some bullshit but you’re still guilty. Every Serpent over the age of 15 remembers it!”

Cheryl chuckled but Toni was already tangling their fingers together and pulling Cheryl towards the front door. She pushed the door open and tugged the redhead outside, closing the door behind them.

Her grand gesture was foiled, however, when Toni’s eyes found Cheryl’s and she found herself unable to speak. Cheryl looked so _happy_ , so _sensational_ , right now.

When Cheryl’s bright smile turned into a worried frown and her warm hands reached out to cradle Toni’s face, brushing her thumbs across smooth cheeks.

“Babe? What’s wrong? Are you ill? We can go home, if you want. I’ve owed you some serious snuggles for a while now…”

“No, Cher, we don’t have to leave. I, well, I have something for you.”

Cheryl’s perfectly groomed eyebrows furrowed adorably and Toni couldn’t resist pushing herself up onto her toes and pressing a loving kiss to Cheryl’s red lips. Weaving her fingers into her girlfriend’s hair, Toni pulled her closer and Cheryl released the tiniest moan.

“Cheryl, I love you.”

“I love you too, TT.”

“No, listen, I really love you, more than I ever thought I could love anyone and sometimes I feel like my chest is going to explode. _That’s_ how much I love you. We’ve been spending a lot of time apart recently and I’ve told you before that I am more than okay with it because, fuck, I love watching you follow your dreams but I know I can’t spend the rest of my life without you in it. You can go away for a few weeks and win some gold medals, but you always need to come back to me. Okay? We were made for each other so marry me, please?”

Her words had quickly turned into a ramble that had created a bemused smirk on Cheryl’s face but when _that_ question slipped from her lips, Cheryl’s brown eyes widened and she froze on the spot.

Toni did too, but she quickly recovered and reached for her pocket. Her shaking hands caused her to fumble as she pulled the small box out and tried to open it.

Cheryl gasped, “TT…”

“Hold on, babe. Dammit!”

Toni almost dropped the box but managed to catch it and drop to one knee as she took a deep breath and smiled up at Cheryl who had tears gathering in her eyes.

“Cheryl Blossom, will you marry me? So I can spend the rest of our lives showing you how much I love you?”

The small black box was propped open to reveal an elegant princess cut diamond, surrounded by tiny blood-red rubies and a thin silver band.

Cheryl did not bother to try and stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks as she fell to her knees with Toni, cradling the Serpent’s face and pulling her in for a loving kiss.

She pulled back far enough to gaze into Toni’s own watery brown eyes and positively _beamed_.

“I’ve been waiting for this day since that day at Pop’s when you told me I was sensational. Of course, I will marry you, Toni Topaz!”

Still grasping tightly to the ring box, Toni surged forward, almost tackling Cheryl in a hug.

Cheryl laughed and kissed any part of Toni’s face she could reach before Toni suddenly pulled back with a gasp.

“I almost forgot!”

She untangled herself from Cheryl and sat back on her hunches, moving to pull the ring from the box.

 Cheryl placed her hand on top of Toni’s and cooed, “You’re shaking, babe. I already said yes.”

Toni blushed and gently grabbed Cheryl’s left hand. “It’s because I’m excited, Cher, and so happy.”

The ring fit perfectly as Toni slid it onto Cheryl’s finger and it was the redhead’s turn to gasp.

“TT, it’s absolutely stunning! I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

Just as they leaned in for yet another kiss, the door to the bar burst open, Sweet Pea shoving his phone in their faces.

“See, Lodge? I knew Tiny couldn’t wait until New Year’s! I except my brand new boots by next week.”

Toni huffed, “You placed bets?! Seriously?!”

Cheryl stood and pulled Toni to her feet, “Sweet Pea, please silence the bar. Toni and I have an announcement.”

Sweet Pea hung up on Veronica, who was screaming through the device, and pulled his friends into a tight hug.

“I’m so happy for you two.”

He led them back into the bar and shouted out, “Everyone! Shut up! Hey, listen up!”

It took a few moments but eventually the room was silenced and Sweet Pea stepped aside.

Cheryl felt Toni release a shaky breath and whispered, “They’re your family, TT.”

With that, and a reassuring kiss on her cheek, Toni laced their fingers together and squealed, “We’re getting married!”

The room erupted in cheers and Toni was once again separated from Cheryl, but this time she was in awe.

She had a _fiancé_. She got to spend the rest of her life with Cheryl Blossom.

_Crap_ , she thought. What a Christmas to remember.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!


End file.
